Good Look At Yourself
by jayhogartismyangel
Summary: On Christmas, Jack Manning gets a good look at himself and at his future if he continues his behavior. Threeshot. Might end up a little bit longer.
1. Part One

**A Good Look at Yourself**

**Summary: On Christmas, Jack Manning gets a good look at himself, and at his future. ThreeShot**

**Part One**

Jack Manning sighed in annoyance as his sister Starr and her daughter Hope sat by Todd Manning. The _real _Todd Manning. His mother was sitting in another chair with a wiggling Sam in her lap whilst. Tea and Dani were both sitting in the living room as well. All of them were acting as if there was nothing wrong with this picture. Nothing wrong with the fact that Scarface. was here and Jack's father wasn't. It was just so beyond fucked up.

He walked out into the foyer and grabbed his coat from the coat rack, by the door. He shrugged it on and as quietly as he could, he snuck out of the house. He walked over to his car and climbed inside, driving down the empty roads of Llanview and stopping at the graveyard.

Jack walked amongst the graves until he got to his father's. Not much caring about the cold, he fell to his knees infront of the grave. "Hey dad. I wish you were here. It sucks at home. Mom, Starr, Dani, Sam, and Tea are all acting as if nothing's wrong with Scarface being there, and you not. It's like they've already forgotten you or they just don't give a damn that Scarface killed you. But I can promise that I won't forget. And I still plan on making him pay." He said to the grave, voice turning hard as he said the last part.

"I can _totally _understand why I'm here." A sing-song voice said behind him with a giggle. "You're messed up, kid!"

Jack's eyes narrowed and he whipped his head around, dark brown eyes locking on a girl about sixteen. She was dressed in a white sweater, a pair of faded blue jeans, and purple boots. Her long dark blonde hair fell around her shoulders and into her pale face. He'd never seen the girl around here before, so he didn't exactly understand why she'd be here with him. "Who are you calling a kid?" He bit out angrily, standing up and taking a step torwards her. "And who are you anyway? What gives you the right to listen in on a private conversation.

The girl scoffed and rolled her blue-green eyes skyward, in annoyance. "It's not exactly a private conversation if you are saying it so loudly in a public place." She pointed out. "And as for who I am, you can just call me Alyssa. Nothing more, nothing less. You won't be seeing me again after today, anyway. I just want to get this job done already."

"_Job?_" He asked voice filled with confusion. "_What job?"_

Alyssa jumped gracefully of the grave that she was sitting on and glided torwards him. One of her small, pale hands reached out torwards his. Her fingers wrapped around his as she said, "My _job _that is going to get you to realise what a little jerk off you're being to everyone."

Jack glared down at her, ripping his hand from her grasp. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" He spit out, backing away from her. "You're a freak!"

A deadly look came over her face as she whispered. "See? This is exactly what they were talking about! This is _exactly _why they gave me this job. You don't care if you hurt people! When you picked on Shane so badly that he eventually tried to kill himself, you didn't feel bad, _did you? _Because then, months later, you started on him again in the form of a girl on the internet. You tried to lure him to this abandoned building, but his mom went instead and you locked her inside, thinking that she was Shane. And she died. Someone died by your hands."

He swallowed hard, glare falling of his face as fear filled him. "How did you know about that?" He asked quietly. "There's no way that you could know."

Alyssa smirked at him, eyes filled with mischief. "Ah, so you finally ask that question. I was waiting on you to. I'm an angel. Well...I will be once I finish my mission. So...right now, I'd say that I'm a ghost or a spirit or whatever you want to call me."

Jack's fear melted at her words. "Are you on drugs or something, or are you just crazy? Do you really expect me to believe that you're a _ghost?"_

She sighed. "Well, I guess if you won't believe me, I'll just have to show you." She walked back over to him, arm sliding about his waist as she concentrated hard, transporting them right outside of Shane and Rex's home.

"Woah! What are you doing?" He shouted at her, not noticing his surroundings.

Alyssa shook her head in annoyance. "_Look around, _dipshit!" She bit out harshly.

Jack glared at her, about ready to argue with her when he noticed where they were. "Uh...how did we get here?"

"I told you that, already." She answered. "Look, we're wasting time, so I am just going to show you some things. Okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she placed her hand on his arm and pulled him through the wall of the house and to Shane's room.

**Next Part: Jack gets to see how much his actions have affected Shane. Jack sees what Brad's life is like since he's been in jail.**

_**Sneak Peek: "You mean Brad's parents didn't come to see him on Christmas?" Jack asked, eyes widening as they stared at his former best friend, sitting on the edge of his bed in the cell. It shocked Jack just how different Brad appeared. His brown hair had lost it's fullness and looked rather unhealthy and unclean. His body was terrifyingly thin in the baggy prison uniform. Most of all were his eyes. They just looked dull. There was nothing in them. **_

_**Alyssa sighed sadly as she reached her hand out to run it comfortingly through Brad's hair, though she knew that he couldn't feel it. "No. His own father let him go to jail, for money, remember?" She asked, turning her head back to look at Jack. "If he didn't care then, why would he care now?"**_

_**He didn't answer. He felt sick. This wasn't something that Jack had wanted to happen. He hadn't wanted his friend to suffer. But what exactly had he thought was going to happen when he let Brad take all of the blame for what happened to Gigi Morasco? He found that he couldn't answer that question.**_


	2. Part Two

**Good Look At Yourself**

**Part Two**

Alyssa let go of Jack once they landed in a bedroom. She turned her head to look at the boy beside of her.

Jack looked around the room, taking in the posters of comic book characters and of bands. His gaze trailed over to the cherry oak desk in the corner of the room, across from a full bed eyes landing on the boy who's life he'd made hell.

Shane sat in the chair at the desk, head bent forward, eyes hidden by the long strands of his blond hair. He was working on something, seeming very interested in what he was doing.

"Why isn't he downstairs with his dad?" Jack asked hesitantly, turning to look at Alyssa.

The girl shrugged. "His dad isn't here. I mean, he was earlier, but he's so involved in his "job" that he left right after they opened presents."

Jack didn't reply. Instead, he stepped away from her, walking torwards the desk where the boy that he had tormented so much, last year, sat. Shane didn't notice, of course. Jack's gaze landed on the drawing that the boy in question was doing and he sucked in a breath. It was one of Gigi Morasco-one that Jack knew was probably one of many. In it, she was being saved by a guy dressed in the usual superhero garb. Jack knew immediatly that it was supposed to be Shane, despite the muscles that the guy in the drawing had. It was as if Shane thought that if he'd been stronger and healthier, his mother would still be alive.

Alyssa gazed at Jack when she heard him take a deep breath. "You know, Shane still wonders why you tormented him so much. He wonders what he could've possibly done to make you hate him."

He didn't reply for a moment, too busy staring down at Shane and his drawing. Finally, he replied, "I don't know why I picked on him so bad, either. I guess because he's different. I just can't believe that I actually thought it was funny to ruin his life. I can't believe that I tried to continue tormenting him, after he tried to kill himself."

She gave a small smile, despite the serious situation. "At least you seem to be realising how wrong you were."

"But that still won't bring Gigi Morasco back. It won't make up for all the shit I did to her son." Jack pratically whispered, sadly. He wished more than anything that it could, though.

"Gigi was a believer in second chances. I think it would make her happy to know that you are realising your mistakes." Alyssa replied, lacing her fingers with his, once more.

He laughed bitterly. "Well, wherever she is, she probably hates me." He stated harshly. "Not that I'd blame her."

She winced at his words, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek, turning his face torwards her. They locked eyes and she said, "I don't think Gigi could ever hate someone. She might not be fond of you, but I doubt that she hates you."

Jack just looked at her, seeming to not believe her words. "Will Shane be okay?" He asked, looking back torwards the boy at the desk.

Alyssa bit her bottom lip and nodded. "I think so. He's a strong guy. He's just...working through the motions right now. But he has alot of people who care about him. His dad, Roxie, Echo, Vicki, Natalie, Jessica, Matthew, Destiny, Aubrey, Liam, Ryder, Bree, Clint, Bo and Nora. He's not alone. The pain is still there, but he has people to help him. Anyway, we still have more to see."

He took one last look at Shane, whispering a quiet, I'm sorry.", before Alyssa transported them somewhere else. When Jack looked around, he realised that it was much darker than Shane's room had been. Where Shane's room had been colorful with the dark blue walls and the posters strewn about, as well as the lighting, this room was much more depressing. It only took him a moment to realise where he was. A jail cell. He was confused at first, before his gaze landed on the boy in the cell. He turned to look at Alyssa who nodded silently, before she walked over to where the boy sat.

"Your thoughts are right. This is Brad." Alyssa replied to his unspoken question.

It was then that Jack noticed the silence that filled the room. "Where is everyone else?" He questioned curiously.

"Some of them are visiting with their families. Unfortunately, no one came to see Brad." She answered.

"You mean Brad's parents didn't come to see him on Christmas?" Jack asked, eyes widening as they stared at his former best friend, sitting on the edge of his bed, in the cell. It shocked Jack just how different Brad appeared. His brown hair had lost it's fullness and looked rather unhealthy and unclean. His body was terrifingly thin in the baggy prison uniform. Most of all were his eyes. They just looked dull. There was nothing in them.

Alyssa sighed sadly as she reached her hand out to run it comfortingly through Brad's hair, though she knew that he couldn't feel it. "No. His own father let him go to jail for money, remember?" She asked, turning her head back to look at Jack. "If he didn't care then, why would he care now?"

He didn't answer. He felt sick. This wasn't something that Jack had wanted to happen. He hadn't wanted his friend to suffer. But what exactly had he thought was going to happen, when he let Brad take all the blame for what had happened to Gigi Morasco? He found that he couldn't answer that question. Feeling as if he was going to cry, he stuttered, "W-will B-Brad be okay?"

She stared up at him, chewing on her lip and the averting her eyes. "I can't really tell you. Jail is a horrible place for a kid, Jack. Things happen here. And his parents...they could care less about him. Same with anyone who was once friends with him." She threw him a pointed look. "Everyone that he once knew or loved is treating him like the plague."

Jack went to take a seat by his ex-best friend. "Is there anything that I can do to help him?"

Alyssa shook her head sadly. "I don't think so." She whispered. "Even if you confessed to your actions and got him out of jail, Brad would have nowhere to go. His parents...they seem to want to forget that they have a son. Brad made mistakes, but what his father did by sending him here-for _money _of all things...that's unforgivable, in my opinion. He and his wife will eventually pay for their actions."

"Why are you even trying to help me? Why is this so important?" He questioned her.

"I have a confession to make. I pratically jumped for the chance to help you." She told him with a small laugh.

"I'm confused." Jack told her, furrowing his brows. "I thought that you said that this was a mission to become an angel."

"That part is true. I had these choices of a mission I must fullfill to become an angel. I chose this case." Alyssa replied.

"Why? Why is me realising my mistakes so important to you?" He asked.

She sighed. "Because I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did. I want you to realise what you need to do."

**Next part: Alyssa tells Jack about her past as a bully and how she died, then shows Jack his future if he doesn't change his behavior.**


	3. Part Three

**Good Look At Yourself**

**A/N: I know that on the show, Jack seems to be realizing the consequences of his actions. But...he doesn't seem to realise that he didn't just hurt Shane. He hurt Brad, too. Don't get me wrong. Brad helped bully Shane. He helped Jack lock Gigi(who they assumed was Shane), into the basement of that old house. She was in a coma, because of it. But, it was Jack's idea. They were both at fault. Plus, the fact that Neela is comforting him and probably won't give Shane, the recorder. And the fact that she is being used as a way for Shane to get to Jack, makes me roll my eyes, a little. I honestly think that if Jack had just admitted his actions, he wouldn't get in as much trouble as he could possibly get in, if he admitted what he did, now.**

**A/N: Future scenes, will be in italics.**

**Part Three**

Alyssa walked past him, her back turned. "I was horrible, when I was alive, Jack. I didn't realise how much my actions hurt people." She laughed bitterly, blinking back the tears that had begun to sting her eyes. "I was selfish. There was this girl. Her name was Katherine. Kathy. She was...weird. But, you could tell that she was comfortable with who she was. Everyone made fun of her and treated her like the plague. At least in Shane's case, he has friends and family, who care. But Kathy, I had no idea what her home life was like. It was shocking, what I found out, after I had died. She was always smiling, always happy. Of course, I couldn't have that. I guess...I was jealous. I hated who I was. People liked me, because of my looks, or because of who my family was. Or because of my car. They didn't like me for me. And I wanted to be liked. I wanted to be "Little Miss. Popular.'' So, I became who they wanted. I was a cheerleader, I dated jocks. I dressed like them and I acted like them. And I was so miserable. I was so angry with how my life was, that I lashed out at Kathy. I made her life a living hell. I just wanted her to be as unhappy, as I was. Then one day, she had this _total _breakdown. She finally had enough of my bullying and my friend's bullying. It was a little bit after school, on a Friday. She road the bus home and ran up to her room. Apparently, she cut her wrists really deep, trying to kill herself. She wrote a suicide note and everything. She was sent to a rehab facility. It was a few weeks after that, that I died. And that's when I found out that she lived with her aunt, uncle, and little five year old, cousin. Her parents had died when she was younger. I also found out that her cousin was the one who found her, when she'd slit her wrists..." Alyssa shook her head, trailing off. "I'm awful, Jack. I don't want you to be like me. I want you to learn from the mistakes, that I made. I want you to learn from, _your _mistakes." She whirled around to face him, eyes filled with determination.

Jack didn't say anything, for a moment. He just jumped to embrace her. He felt her bury her head, in his shoulder. It surprised him how real and alive, she felt. He'd have never known otherwise, if she hadn't told him. "You're not an awful person, Alyssa." He mumbled, pulling away to look into her blue eyes. "You just made mistakes." He didn't know why he felt the need to comfort her, when he'd never really cared about other people, before. It was rather overwhelming.

She laughed a little. "Now, if only you'd show this side of yourself, to everyone else." She told him, caressing his cheek with one of her small, cold hands.

"How did you die, anyway?" He asked, feeling the need to know. Looking at her, she looked so healthy and whole. What could've possibly been the cause of her death?

Alyssa's hand fell from his cheek and she glanced down at her feet. "I was in a wreck, with this guy. The last guy that I had dated and I, had gotten into a fight. I had found out, that he'd been cheating on me, with one of my 'friends', for _months._ I wasn't thinking clearly. I had just wanted to get away from him and this girl, and everyone who had known. So, I climbed on the back of this motorcycle, with a guy named Pierce. I had no idea that he'd been drinking. We were going down the highway and, he ran through a red light, straight into oncoming traffic. I screamed, and tried to swerve the motorcycle, to avoid a car, heading straight for us. I guess I miscalculated, because we were both thrown off. Pierce was pronounced dead, in the ambulance. I was still alive, but in a coma. It was what my doctor had called, "a permanent coma". I was kept alive for _months._ Only, I showed no signs of waking up. I was being kept alive, by machines. My parents decided to pull the plug. To let me go. At the time, I felt so betrayed. It felt as if, they'd just given up. As if I didn't matter. But, I understand, now. My mom, she still keeps my room exactly as I left it. She goes in to dust, and vacuum, but that's it. The clothing that I had worn, the day before the party, is still in a heap on the floor. there's still a book that I'd been reading, on my bed. It's heartbreaking to see." Her voice was soft and sad, as she said this, overcome with memories of that night.

Jack took a deep breath. He couldn't imagine it. He recalled how long Bo an Nora had waited for their son, Matthew, to wake up. They hadn't once given up, on him. Jack couldn't imagine his own mom, doing what Alyssa's parents had done, either. If they hadn't given up, Alyssa might've woken up. He might've been able to get to know her, as a living person. "I'm sorry." He murmured.

She shook her head, snow falling in her hair. "It's okay." She answered. "Listen, it's getting late. I guess that I should show you, your future, if you don't change." She held out her hand, palm facing upward as she waited for him to take it.

000000

He bit his bottom lip, nervously and pressed his shaky right hand, into her's. There was an uncomfortable feeling in his gut, as they landed inside of an apartment. He was immediatly overwhelmed by the strong stench, of alcohol. He let his gaze travel around the room, taking in the expensive furniture. The coffee table had liquor bottles, on it. Jack blinked as he caught sight of an older version of himself, sitting back, on the couch. The older version of himself, who he assumed to be about twenty three, was looking at a woman, with long, dark hair. He furrowed his brow, as he listened to the conversation, between the couple.

_"You're going to be a daddy, Jack." The woman was saying, a wide smile curving her full lips. Her green eyes were lit up, with joy. She was so happy and so content. She already loved the baby growing inside of her. She loved the idea of starting a family with this guy, that she'd fallen in love with._

_Jack became tense, pulling away from the woman. "How could you be so stupid?" He hissed coldly, dark eyes flashing with anger. "I told you that I didn't want kids. Why didn't you read the instructions on the birth control box? Bet it was just a ploy to get my money." He didn't seem to care that the woman was near tears._

_She stood up. "I'm not the only one at fault, you know. It's not like I made our baby, on my own." Her voice trembled with emotion, as she told him this. _

_He stood up, picking his button up shirt, off of the ground. He slipped it on, buttoning it, as he spoke. "Yeah, well, I want nothing to do with this mess. I have other things to deal with, Annie."_

_She snorted bitterly, shocked by how absolutely uncaring, he sounded. "I feel so damn sorry for you." She snarled. "Shane and Neela, were right. I was just too stupid to listen, to them. If you continue to act like this, you are going to end up miserable. You already pushed your family away. I was all that you had, but you are pushing me away, too. What kind of existance do you even have?" She grabbed her purse and her jacket, turned on her heel, and left the apartment._

_The older Jack threw a bottle, out of anger. "So stupid." He muttered, shaking his head, disgusted with himself. He wondered how in the world he'd ended up, like this._

00000

Everything began to fade around the teenagers, as Alyssa took them somewhere else. They landed on the sofa of Jack's childhood home.

"If I don't straighten up, I'm going to end up like that." He questioned the girl beside of him, sounding upset.

She nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes, but you still have a chance. This is the last thing, that I have to show you. I think you need to see how your little brother is treated, because of who his family is." She answered, turning her attention to a fourteen year old, Sam, who had just run into the room, throwing his bookbag roughly on the ground.

_"I hate this town!" The teenage Sam snarled, tears streaking down his cheeks. He kicked one of the stands, in anger. "Stupid, judgemental people!" He collapsed to the ground, raised his legs up, and buried his face in his skinny knees. He sobbed uncontrollably. He didn't understand why other kids in his highscool, bullied him. They'd bring up his Uncle Todd, who was in jail, and his brother, Jack, who had long ago, abandoned his family. They would bring up the horrible things that his father, Victor, had done. Nobody even tried to get to know him, the __**real**__ him. They already had these preset ideas in their heads, of who he was._

_Just then, Starr hurried into the room, and knelt down beside of her little brother and wrapped her arms around his trembling form. "Sammy, what happened? Why are you so upset?" She asked of him, gazing at him, worriedly._

_Sam muttered something that she couldn't understand and buried his head in his sister's shoulder._

_0000_

Jack didn't even realise that they were back at the graveyard, until Alyssa wrapped her arms around him. He looked back at her, seeing her blue eyes glistening with tears. "I don't want to be him, Alyssa." He told her. His voice broke, as he shook his head, negatively. "I don't want my brother to suffer, because of me. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

Alyssa smiled at him, pressed her lips to his cheek, and whispered in his ear. "Then you won't." She pulled away sadly, backing away from him. "I suppose that I should be going now." She told him.

"Wait, what?" He asked of her, eyes going wide at her actions. He seemed startled.

"My mission was to help you. I have. It's time for me to go." She answered.

"Well, can't you stay?" Jack asked, grabbing her hand.

Alyssa laughed, and shook her head. "I don't _belong _here, Jack." She told him. "I _wish _that I did. There is so much that I missed out on. There are so many things that I'd like to take back. But, I can't stay where I don't belong."

He nodded, feeling a pain in his heart. Over the course of today, he'd begun to see Alyssa as a really good friend. He didn't like that she had to leave him. "I'll miss you." He murmured softly.

She smiled at him and embraced him. "Just because you won't see me quite so often, doesn't mean that I don't exist." She pulled away, gazing up at him. "Please, try and be better, Jack. I believe that you're a good person. Just, show people that. Don't be afraid."

Jack was about to reply, when a light shone down on the girl in his arms. She began to fade as he gazed at her.

When she was gone, Jack took in a deep breath. He would do what Alyssa had suggested. He'd be a better person. He could start right now. He turned on his heel and began to leave, the graveyard. Just then, he stopped in his tracks as he saw something silver, shimmering on the ground. He bent down and picked it up. It was a delicate charm bracelet. There was something written on the heart charm, and he squinted at it. He brought it closer to his face and saw Alyssa's name carved into it. He smiled and looked up at the sky, "Goodbye, Alyssa." He murmured, putting the charm bracelet into his pocket.

**The End**


End file.
